A time for growing in courage and purpose

Observer column published MON 6 July 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

I am here tapping out this column at my father’s desk where he sat working in his wheelchair wearing periscope-type glasses, because his neck was fixed by ankylosing spondylitis, an extreme form or arthritis. Brave ex-RAF man that he was, he hardly spoke of his painful condition, which dogged him as he worked and studied day after day, night after night to become a chartered accountant. He had his four children to see through school and he would not stop until the youngest was accepted at university.

I am sharing Dad’s story because although these Covid times are painful and uncomfortable, we should see them as a challenge to grow in courage and purpose. A report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has shaken us up: it puts Jamaica at the top of the list for developing countries to suffer from tourism losses – they forecast an 11 percent of our GDP. How will we prove them wrong?  Clearly, we must find ways to attract visitors while safeguarding them and our tourism workers. Indications are that flights into the Montego Bay Donald Sangster Airport are on the increase, with strict adherence to an arrival protocol.

Our restaurants were able to reopen last Thursday. A JIS report from Alecia Smith noted, “Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, emphasised that occupancy ‘must not exceed 50 per cent of [the facility’s] capacity at any one point in time… No more than four persons can be seated at a table. There must be at least six feet of space between tables, and no table must be joined to facilitate large groups’.”

Representatives of the entertainment industry demonstrated outside Emancipation Park last week as they demanded the reopening of their activities.  Bearing in mind a study that had shown that Jamaicans spend most of their money on food and entertainment, one can imagine the Covid fallout for the entertainment fraternity. Dahlia Harris has introduced pay-per-view of her play on Instagram – we should check it out and support.

Besides these traditional revenue earners, we must focus on agriculture.  One of the sunniest spots during this pandemic are photos and videos of the activities at Michael Lee-Chin’s 3,000-acre mega farm, part of the former Innswood Estates in St Catherine. There was a traffic jam in New York when Jamaica’s first shipment of mangoes arrived there a few weeks ago. Gifts of Jamaican coffee, whether Blue Mountain or high mountain are always welcome. Café Blue is now using our excellent cocoa to produce a new line of chocolate products and Jamaican ginger is regarded as the world’s finest. Canned ackee and callaloo are winners and our sauces and jellies have a depth of flavour that is unparalleled. 

Hundreds of students have now graduated from high school and university, full of hope and promise. Meanwhile, our frontline workers are dropping down from exhaustion, working double and triple shifts. We look to management in various fields of endeavour to mainstream new graduates, giving them work opportunities while relieving frontline stress. We look to management in various fields of endeavour to mainstream new graduates, giving them work opportunities while relieving frontline stress, and to support new initiatives to counter threats to our economy.

Education SOS in Covid time

Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Fayval Williams (centre) in discussion with chief executive officer, Universal Service Fund (USF), Daniel Dawes (left) and minister of state in the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Information Alando Terrelonge during the presentation of $700 million to e-Learning Jamaica by the USF for the procurement of tablet computers under the Tablets for Teachers Programme at the PCJ Auditorium in New Kingston recently. (Photo: JIS)

Lead - Observer column published Monday 22 JUNE 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

September is roaring up the path – just two months away. How ready will we be to satisfy the back-to-school demands that it will bring? In his address to the House last week, Prime Minister Andrew Holness reminded us that the new school year will come with many challenges.  Many private schools are in debt and MP Rev Ronald Thwaites appealed for Government support of private basic schools, pointing out the importance of early childhood education.

We must take steps now to ensure that Covid does not stand in the way of our children’s education. School and church communities can plan used bookfairs and assist students with scholarship applications. I understand that a movement called “Unicycle” is calling for gently used khakis, with drop off points at Campion College and Fontana Pharmacy.

Bear in mind that some families who may appear financially comfortable, may be barely finding rent after the widespread layoffs and job cuts. Let’s reassure them that there is no shame in buying used books and other thrift items.

As terrible as this Covid experience is, we must admit that it has pushed us to think digital, to co-create this ‘new Jamaica’ of which Energy, Science & Technology Minister Fayval Williams spoke in her Sectoral Presentation to the House last week.

We hope more Community Access Points (CAP) sites can be established on school compounds by the United Service Fund (USF). It is good news that thousands of laptops and tablets will be distributed for the new school year by e-Learning Jamaica, but the matter of connectivity remains a problem. 


To assist PATH and special needs students, Digicel Foundation recently handed over 1,000 tablets complete with one year of data to State Minister Alando Terrelonge and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour & Social Security Colette Roberts Risden. We all have to pitch in to help our students.

Minister Williams noted that the USF now has in place 309 CAP sites for internet facilities which are surprisingly underutilised. She noted, “Just putting in the computers and solar equipment (at some sites) to help with the electricity cost is necessary, but not sufficient. As MPs, you know the sites are not bursting at the seams with young people as we had hoped. This is where I will be encouraging USF, MPs, Councillors and community stakeholders to collaborate more deeply with the HOPE program and HEART to ensure the programs in the CAP sites are relevant to the young people.”

JLP and PNP can be heroes for Jamaica

Observer column published MON 29 June 2020 

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Security Expert Jason McKay

Jamaica is looking good on the international stage for our strong response to the Covid crisis. However, we are looking horrible when it comes to crime. Check this Jamaica Observer headline earlier this month: “Nineteen killed across Jamaica in bloody weekend”. How can a country of barely three million have our high crime rate? Our size should have made this more manageable, but the dreadful dynamic of the past fifty years cannot be ignored.

Politically aligned gangs emerged in the seventies, growing into monsters that neither political party has been able to control. Security expert Jason McKay sheds light on Jamaica’s plight in his Jamaica Observer column. Last July he related an experience as a negotiator with a ‘don’ in a kidnapping incident: “I remember when talking to the kidnapper that he said to me when I objected to his demands that I was in ‘their place’ and they can do as they like with me. His exact words: ‘If we 'waa' you dead you dead. A fi we place dis’… I reflected that many Jamaicans live just like this daily. That some dunce with a gun has dominion over them and that dunce is a member of a gang with more dunces, more guns, and no respect for human beings or their lives.”

Last week he reflected on the ‘demise’ of retired SSP Renato Adams, Jamaica’s most famous crime-fighter. He described the people’s view of Adams as “someone standing up for the regular man against the gangs that dominated our lives.”

He continued, “Adams' demise occurred when just a few genuine people uptown organised themselves and were manipulated by a few others who should have known better. This was by no means a general uptown attack; just a few under-exposed folk and too many cups of coffee.”

Clearly, there have been police officers who have sullied the good name of the Force, but this column has maintained that they are in the minority and has called out some members of civil society for their lack of compassion towards our decent officers. Indeed, they asked representatives of Amnesty International to meet with me a few years ago. They were lovely people who were unaware of the dangerous realities of life in Jamaica.

JCC President Lloyd Distant Jr 

The cost of crime to Jamaica is estimated at over $60 billion, or nearly four percent of the country’s GDP, and these are pre-Covid figures.  Now Jamaica’s private sector organisations’ push for a national anti-crime plan is even more urgent. The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) have been engaged with Government, Opposition, civil society and security experts since 2018, with its aim, in the words of JCC President Lloyd Distant, “to develop a credible National Strategic Programme of initiatives and actions to transform Jamaica to become a Safe, Secure, and Investment-friendly Society.” 

Mr Distant noted that the process has received “overwhelming support” from the National Partnership Council. A Summit held last October had two major agreements: “successful transformation would require agreement on specific priorities and actions, widespread buy-in with regard to the way forward, and a bipartisan commitment to implementation; the naming of a Working Group whose mandate would be the delivery of a blueprint for sustainable reduction in crime on which there is National Consensus.”

He shared the key points for this plan:

·  The fight against crime must be underpinned by a bi-partisan, whole of government approach that must be nationalistic – stressing the importance of getting the whole nation involved in effecting the plan

·  Amongst the top national priorities are the elimination of criminal gangs, reintegrating troubled communities, inculcating an intolerance of corruption, collusion and money-laundering, and modernizing our policing infrastructure and justice system

·  The most critical pillar of the Consensus is likely to be the prioritizing of effective community and social interventions.

• De-politicize decisions on social and community interventions. This does not mean taking away involvement and participation of elected reps – this is primarily to ensure that programmes are appropriately targeted and effective
• The importance of focusing on community regeneration
• The role of the education system, the family and the Church in social transformation
• This includes the normalizing and re-integration of troubled communities, and replacing an underlying culture with a culture of civic pride

·  Affirming the need to expedite JCF reform

·  Affirming the importance of waging a relentless war on corruption, collusion and money-laundering

·  Satisfying the call for the appointment of a multi-sectoral and non-partisan committee to provide oversight of the programme (like EPOC)

We understand that the Working Group had talks with Government and Opposition leadership last week. We hope both parties will show the courage and care for their people by supporting the implementation of this plan. The thug-assisted power plays may be tempting, but the impact on their constituencies will be greater if they connect with their people, nurturing the next Marley, Shelly-Ann and Bolt so gang membership will no longer be an option for our desperate and unattached youth. They, backed by the stakeholder groups, can take the gangsters’ knees off the necks of our people, and be heroes for Jamaica.

Farewell Mary Alison Anderson McLean

Excerpt for Jamaica Observer column published June 22 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin 

“What a strong woman,” I remember remarking when I saw Mary Alison Anderson McLean in a television newscast, standing up for Jamaica’s children as head of the then Childcare & Protection Agency. Professional and passionate, this woman of excellence also served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Entertainment and Sport, and was the Caribbean Representative for UN Women at the time of her passing.

“She was recognised and highly respected for her fearless advocacy for human rights and environmental stewardship. She blazed an unrivalled trail of activism and her unbridled passion for good corporate governance has been exemplified by many here in Jamaica as well as the wider Caribbean region,” Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange noted. “I hail her contribution as a true gender champion.”

The tributes have been sorrowful and inspiring; we give thanks for the exemplary life of Mrs Anderson McLean. Our condolences to her family, close friends and colleagues. May her soul rest in peace.

A time to mourn, a time to heal

Observer photo of distressed colleagues on the scene of the attack 

Jamaica Observer column published Monday 15 June 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

It is a time of mourning in our beloved Jamaica as we contemplate the tragic deaths of Detective Corporal Dane Biggs and Constable Decardo Hylton, and the critical state of their colleagues Superintendent Leon Clunis and other unnamed officers after they were attacked during police operations last Friday.  Their safety vests were pierced by bullets from a high-powered M-16 weapon. Even as they put their lives on the line for their fellow Jamaicans, we see more headlines against than for our security forces, never mind that they are out there on our mean streets protecting our lives from the over 200 gangs identified by our Ministry of National Security.

How many people know that the largest youth club in Jamaica is the Police Youth Club, where our police officers mentor young people in troubled communities? How many know that the most ardent supporters of Jamaica's Special Olympics organisation are the members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who have been holding the Law Enforcement Torch Run for decades to raise funds for the cause?  One police officer has been growing melons at his farm in St. Elizabeth to raise funds exclusively for our Special Olympians.  To see these imposing officers gently interact with our special needs sisters and brothers would bring tears to your eyes.

While we are trying to readjust to the nine-to-five routine post-Covid, our Police Officers have had no stay-at-home orders as they have to be on our roads morning and night, enforcing quarantines, manning SOE posts and monitoring crazy road use.

Sgt Jerr-Johnson contacted the CCRP seniors team for care packages for the shut-in elderly in Central Kingston because she had been visiting them and could see their suffering.  This resulted in our partnering with her and Inspector Natalie Palmer-Mair to have care packages distributed islandwide to the indigent elderly. When they shared with us photographs of their officers, kindly comforting the elderly as they distributed the packages, we gave thanks for the big hearts of the JCF.

Most of the members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force are among Jamaica's finest citizens. When it comes to discipline, sacrifice and deportment most of us do not even come close to them, yet too many of us unconsciously buy into the negative narrative which may very well be pushed by intimidating gangsters.

When ACP Steve McGregor was voted Police Officer of the Year in 2000, he gave me one of the most inspiring interviews. He was then a Deputy Superintendent of Police, serving in the troubled Rockfort area, and related that he would attend as many parties and community events as he could, engaging the youth through the area's very active Police Youth Club.  He said that as the former gang recruits warmed up to his positive messages, they told him that they had buried their guns and were ready to turn their lives around.  When he received his award, he dedicated it to his three children; last month his daughter, a Campion College alumna, graduated Magna cum laude from the University of Tampa.

As we mourn with the families of DC Biggs and Constable Hylton, and members of the JCF, let us find ways to give more support to these brave Jamaicans who continue to serve, protect and reassure despite the brickbats we hurl at them. We have been praising the Government response to the Covid pandemic.  Now we need the same focus and application by all ministries to end this, the deadliest virus in Jamaica: crime.

The Noel Chambers tragedy

We discovered last week that 81-year-old Noel Chambers died in prison after languishing there for 40 years without going to trial. Authorities said he had a mental illness.  His family described their fruitless efforts to have their loved one released over the years. The horrific photograph of his emaciated dead body should shake us into action. The Chief Justice issued an apology to the family and pledged to address such cases. Further we learned that there were dozens of children in prisons for such offences as bedwetting and wandering in the streets.  This is another unacceptable situation which we hope the Child and Family Protection Agency will correct.

Going to America

In the series "Where do we go from here?" hosted on all the Discovery Channels last week, a participant disclosed that the systemic racism in the US has visited unimaginable stress on African Americans.

Well we had a taste of it two years ago when our son decided to attend his cousin's graduation in the US.  We had read about the cold-blooded murders of Philando Castile and Eric Garner, and realised that black men were being killed simply because of their colour. I discussed the matter with my sister who promised that our son would never be alone on his trip. Despite this, I did not have a good night's sleep for the nine days he was away. Now if I could have been so affected for nine days, the level of stress experienced by the families of black men, day after day, year after year must be through the roof.  

Like so many in the US, we are a multi-racial family, and the white Americans we see marching have black husbands, wives, children and close friends – they hurt for their loved ones. With so many whites protesting, the NFL and Nascar are seeing their ticket sales in jeopardy and are apologizing belatedly. But, as Rev Al Sharpton noted at the funeral of George Floyd, until Colin Kaepernick gets his contract back, the NFL should not be absolved.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and right here in Jamaica, we have heartbreaking incidents.  Two weeks ago, CCRP had to report on abuse in a nursing home to the authorities. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes 5 types of elder abuse: physical, sexual, financial, psychological abuse and neglect.

In Jamaica, where persons 60 years and older now constitute 11.3 percent of the population and are projected to constitute 25 percent by 2050, swift action must be taken to protect them. Adult children of senior citizens who can financially support their parents are mandated by the Maintenance Act of December 7, 2005 (article 5) to care for their parents and grandparents. However, many neglect their responsibility.

 

CCRP is calling for the introduction of an "Elder Care & Protection Act" that would mirror the Child Care & Protection Act to ensure that the nation's seniors are fully protected by law. We are urging citizens to take the best care of their elderly loved ones and community members and to report any cases of elder abuse to the National Council for Senior Citizens Hotline 888-SENIORS (736-4677).

 

We will stay the course for Hon Shahine Robinson

Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 1 June 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Hon Shahine Robinson MP

There is an outpouring of love and grief at the passing of Minister of Labour and Social Security Shahine Robinson as Jamaicans of both political parties and all walks of life, recall her selfless dedication to her constituency in St. Ann, the parish of her birth and to her country. Last year she joined us in St. Ann for the launch of the CCRP North East Jamaica Chapter, and called for the protection and empowerment of our seniors, reflected in her Ministry's meticulous revision of Jamaica's National Policy for Seniors. She was a strong supporter of the special needs community, and has been lauded by Caribbean Special Olympics head Lorna Bell, for her care and concern.  

Two years ago, pensioner Veronica Carnegie wrote a letter to the editor, after her favourite Minister was not nominated in a popularity poll, stating, "The Minister [Shahine Robinson] works quietly and well with a dependable staff; without bugle, trumpet and fanfare. She has no PR consultants advertising and marketing her activities and so this noise-less worker is not nominated. Look at the hundreds of workers who have been trained and placed in jobs; locally and overseas, over the two years. Look at the hundreds of pensioners, like us, whose lodgement is made, on time, every month. An Immaculate Conception High School old girl, and daughter of community conscious Fakhourie family, the minister knows how to work hard and get things done without fanfare." 

Minister Robinson sent her team to work with CCRP on laying the groundwork for an Elder Care and Protection Act. We will stay the course and celebrate her contribution when it becomes law. Our condolences to her beloved family, government and ministry colleagues and constituents. Rest in Peace gracious patriot, Shahine Robinson.

Our wounded human family

Observer column published 1 June 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

As one reporter put it, "You cannot 'unsee'" the image of that brutal officer, with his knee on the neck of unarmed, handcuffed George Floyd; it is a sickening memory of US Memorial Day 2020 in Minneapolis. For nearly nine minutes, the policeman stayed in that position, one hand casually in his pocket, while his captive suffocated. "I can't breathe", pleaded Floyd.

This was the flashpoint for a country already in crisis with the Covid-19 pandemic clocking the highest number of deaths of any country – over 100,000 – and unemployment claims rising to over 40 million, disproportionately affecting people of colour. With long food lines and workers ordered to function in unhygienic meat-packing facilities, despair was growing.

On February 23, a young Black jogger, Ahmaud Arbery was shot dead for 'jogging while Black'. It was after days of protests that a father and son, captured on video, was charged for the crime. On March 15, Breonna Taylor of Louisville Kentucky, returned home from work at a neighbourhood hospital where she was an ER technician, and at 12.40am, police officers entered her home with a "no-knock" warrant and shot her to death. She was struck eight times; afterwards it was reported that she was not the target of the operation and no drugs were found in her apartment.

On Memorial Day morning, a Black professional Christian Cooper discovered that it was also dangerous to 'birdwatch while Black'. While enjoying his hobby in Central Park, New York, he asked Amy 'Karen' Cooper (no relation) to put a leash on her dog, a legal requirement in the park. The woman fumed and, while he videotaped her, called the police, pretending she was being attacked by Cooper, and asked them to arrest him. Christian Cooper, a Harvard graduate posted the video which quickly became viral, and after generously accepting the woman's apology, he spoke of an "underlying current of racism and racial perceptions that's been going on for centuries and that permeates this city and this country that she tapped into."

While that video was making the rounds last Monday, up popped the heart-stopping video of the modern-day lynching of George Floyd. The hashtag #icantbreathe trended worldwide, recalling the death of New York sidewalk vendor Eric Garner, who cried out the same words as he was pinned to the ground by a lawman in 2014.

In the days that followed, the anguish of Americans of all races spilled over onto the streets of some 30 cities including Minneapolis, Atlanta, Kentucky, Los Angeles, Houston, Brooklyn, Chicago and Washington DC. Some demonstrations turned violent, and there are allegations that the peaceful protests were infiltrated by a cynical group of mischief makers.

Jamaican Professor of sociology and novelist Orlando Patterson was a guest on Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC programme on Friday. He opined that the system of policing in the US employs "the use of violence as a first resort rather than a last resort. It sees the community as the enemy and killing as routine. It is worse than hate crime, this normalcy of killing." He regards the riots as "the final expression of outrage, the fact that one's humanity is not being recognised."

"America has changed for the better to a considerable degree," he noted. "However, something is fundamentally wrong with American police training, police culture, police organisation which has to change. Until it does black lives will not matter."

Our Jamaican security forces are doing better in this regard, but only this week there has been an outcry against the killing of Susan Bogle, a resident of August Town, allegedly by a member of the Jamaica Defence Force. As we look back on the Tivoli Gardens operation ten years ago, we can sympathise with the bereaved families, many innocently caught up in that dangerous standoff as the security forces went in search of 'Dudus' Coke.

Our human family needs healing – and this will come when everyone, of every class and colour, receives the respect and justice that we all deserve.

A strange kind of racism

"Wrong and strong" is how my Twitter friend Londie Murray describes the vitriol spewed at him after he spoke about the kindness of Sandals President Adam Stewart.  It seems that the US riots has triggered irrational anti-white sentiment in Jamaica, with one post declaring that descendants of estate owners are running Jamaica. To be clear, Adam's Dad, Butch Stewart is not a descendant of planters, and had a humble start in life.

I responded  with a post that the owner of Jamaica's biggest bank, Michael Lee-Chin, is the son of an orphan, that the owner of Carimed and Kirk Industries, Glen Christian started out as a postman and that the Hendricksons started with one small bakery in Magotty.

We should treasure our Motto "Out of Many One People" (the Latin translation is the US Motto – E Pluribus Unum) and recognise that with all our problems, Jamaica remains the most racially harmonious country in the world, where colour is no obstacle to success. When Glen Christian delivered letters to Colgate-Palmolive on Marcus Garvey Drive, he had a much higher vision for himself. As he studied and worked, he was able to buy that very building and is now the distributor of that company's products.

We must never forget the past but let us use it for motivation: "None but ourselves can free our minds."

The story of an eventful return

‘Owen Saving Lives’ –
“one of those days you just wanna cry
 knowing you are doing your best but persons are ungrateful.”

Jamaica Observer column published 18 May 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Owen (‘Owen saving lives and protecting property’ on Twitter) who is a frontline worker in Jamaica’s Covid-19 response was downhearted as he listened to criticisms from folks in quarantine regarding their meals and check-in arrangements.  In our telephone conversation, he listed the processes that “the Government got right - the facilities, the transportation, the contractors to provide meals.”  However, as a member of the team moving the returnees from the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) to St Ann, he admitted, “We civil servants got some things wrong.”

“There should have been persons on the ground providing incident command and logistics,” he said, suggesting that if such services had been organised with the Jamaica Defence Force and the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the arrival of the 192 returning Jamaicans at the Grand Bahia Principe last Wednesday evening would have gone better.

He was clear though, that there was no truth to the allegation that they did not receive a meal. “Every single person on the 12 premium buses received a meal and water,” he said. He shared that a Colonel who is a medical doctor visited every bus, listing passengers’ health issues.

In spite of this, he was appalled at the abusive behaviour of some of the passengers and the litter they left on the buses: “We had garbage bags on every bus, but still some left chicken bones and rice on the floor. One woman even changed her baby and left dirty diapers on the bus seat.”

On arrival at the hotel, the processing of the passengers took too long, he said, and there was only one bathroom available. The parking area was a distance from the hotel, so they had to be using an ambulance to shuttle the passengers, giving priority to those with health issues. He recommended that portable toilets be put in place to prevent a re-occurrence of this.

He noted that if the list of passengers, dietary guidelines and other details could have been emailed ahead of time from the airport to the hotel, the long process could have been minimised.

Owen said his colleagues were astonished at the amount of luggage brought by the passengers who seemed to believe that frontline personnel were also to double as baggage handlers. When the passengers were finally settled in their rooms, Owen said he and fellow team members left food trays at every single door. “We did not leave there until 2am on Thursday morning,” he said, and was back on the job in a few hours. In fact, he had booked a call with me on Thursday but had to reschedule because of several emergencies.

Owen is asking the public to understand that he and other frontline teams are working sometimes close to 48-hour shifts. “This is a learning curve,” he says. “We will make mistakes and we must work to fix them.”

PM Andrew Holness noted the complaints made on several news programmes last week and stated: “The issues encountered are completely unacceptable. I asked Ministers Christopher Tufton and Matthew Samuda to visit the quarantine facility today ….  the Government has already taken some remedial actions and we will do everything we can to completely rectify the situation.” Minister Tufton visited the location and assured that additional personnel would be brought in to serve the persons in quarantine.

Even as the Government moves to make the folks in quarantine more comfortable, they should also look to the conditions of our frontline workers. They need to have regular breaks and PPE changes. Owen shared on social media: “You know when I put on this PPE from 9am I can't take it off until 2am or later the next day and it's hot and sweaty.”

The 100^th recovery

Jamaica Observer reporter Candiece Knight gave an account of the ‘Covid Conversation’ between Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton and ‘Patient D’ who was the 100^th patient in Jamaica to have recovered from Covid-19. ‘Patient D’ was one of five family members who contracted the virus from her daughter, an employee of Portmore call centre; the other four were her daughter’s three children and their father. 

‘Patient D’ is quoted as saying of the facilities, “Up here they feed you good... They feed [you] big people good. They talk to you, like sometimes if you don't have on your mask they tell you to put on your mask. But here is not for babies, because they don't have what to give the babies. They gave them food, yes, but the snacks and so, they didn't get that.”

The household worker is looking forward to going home but is worried about the discrimination that fellow Covid survivors are facing as people may not want to let her into their homes. She ascribed the recovery of her family to drinking lots of water and inhaling steam; consultant physician Dr Samantha Nicholson-Spence agrees that these practices can help.

As Jamaica’s Covid patients recover steadily, with the nine persons who have sadly passed suffering from underlying conditions, there is speculation around our hardiness.  Some ascribe it to our strict immunization regimen, while others to our habitual personal cleanliness. As the curfew hours are lessened and churches and bars reopen, let us not become complacent though.  Keep wearing your mask, stay six feet apart, sanitise constantly and call the Health Ministry Hotline at 888-663-5683 if you develop symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath.

We welcome news that there will be testing of residents of not only government infirmaries but also private nursing homes. The apparent indifference to the aged in some countries where nursing homes account for a high number of Covid deaths is heart-breaking. Just as Jamaica was lauded on international news for our keen handling of the pandemic, let us ensure that this same level of attention is given to our precious elderly.  

Superintendent Maldria Jones-Williams and 

Nordia Phillips of Digicel Foundation joined forces 

with Island Grill to host a post-Mother’s Day Brunch for JCF women officers.

Covid caring

Inspector Natalie Palmer-Mair of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Community Relations Division has been organising islandwide distribution of care packages and last Friday, Emily Shields shared interviews on ‘Hotline’ with some of the recipients, gracious Jamaicans stalwarts. They are deeply appreciative and in turn give their blessings to the Officers and to the people of Jamaica.  Many of them are dealing with health and housing issues but they remain positive. 

While we were enjoying our Mother’s Day treats, women officers of the Jamaica Constabulary Force had to be on duty, and so Sgt Jerr Johnson-Heron at Kingston Central decided that the week would not pass without recognition of these great ladies who are also great mothers. On Friday, they gathered under the leadership of Superintendent Maldria Jones-Williams at their East Queen Street headquarters where they enjoyed a Post-Mother’s Day brunch and gifts provided by Island Grill and the Digicel Foundation.

We salute the many frontline workers who are balancing care for their families with their dedication to their country.

The inspiring patriot, Oliver Clarke

Oliver Clarke who applied to be the first member of CCRP
at a media breakfast held at King's House in 2010
– pictured here at the event with (l-r) JIS head Donna-Marie Rowe and
CCRP Board Directors Ambassador Aloun Assamba
and the late J. Lester Spaulding.

Jamaica Observer column for published 25 May 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Last year I received a call from Oliver Clarke's assistant, conveying his request that I continue to mentor a bright young graduate whom he had been guiding through her final year at UWI. I had no idea that this busy entrepreneur, leading the multi-billion JN Group and the RJR-Gleaner Group, serving several other prestigious boards, would be making the time to be a mentor.

His mentee Shanakay Dyer explained that he took this very seriously. "At his office, he had framed photographs of his mentees on his walls and he had files on each of us," she shared. She said Oliver Clarke would weave his characteristic sense of humour into his wise counsel.  He invited his mentees to dinner at his home so they would get to know each other.  "He made us feel like family," recalls Shanakay.

In a shining tribute to her father on Facebook, Alexandra Clarke told us she would accompany her Dad to events as a small child, and started working as a summer intern at the Gleaner when she was 13.  Entitlement was not entertained she wrote, as he even 'fired' her one summer. She said her Dad's famous wit enlivened conversations. "His wisdom was second only to his wit," she related. Millennial Alex said her Dad never spoke about his philanthropic efforts; she heard about most of them via "buck-ups". She found out that, as posted by Douglas Halsall, while Oliver was studying in England, "Jamaicans were migrating in droves. Oliver would spend his weekends at railway stations assisting migrants to find their way."

So here is another "buck-up" Alex. At a media launch of CCRP, an advocacy organisation for seniors, your Dad sat across from me at the King's House breakfast. At the end of my announcement, he passed me an envelope. "What is this for?" I asked him. "My membership fee," he answered with a wide grin. Of course, he had no need for the benefits of the organisation, but being a cheerleader for anything positive and constructive, he gave us his treasured vote of confidence to become Member Number One.  In a conversation with him earlier this year, he was delighted to hear that in CCRP's 10th year, we now had over 10,000 members.

When our company won the tender to develop 'Flair' Magazine for the Gleaner back in 1984, then editor Hector Wynter remarked on Oliver's commendation of our proposal, which drove us to the fine tuning of every issue during our three-year contract, so we would not disappoint him.

As we celebrate Jamaica's continued top rating for press freedom, we owe Oliver Clarke a debt for his vigorous support of the Press Association of Jamaica, and his presidency of the Inter-American Press Association and The Commonwealth Press Association. He recognized that press freedom was an important safeguard for our precious democracy. His patriotism shone in his establishment of the Peace and Love in Schools programme (PALS) which was housed at his North Street offices and the many affirmation programmes sponsored by his companies.

Oliver Clarke could spot talent in a millisecond, and gave respect to brilliant executives like Earl Jarrett, Chris Barnes and Dr Dana Morris Dixon. Those of us who knew that Oliver had our backs are feeling a bit hobbled right now. However, he would want us to straighten up, keep flying on a path of excellence, and laugh at the wind. We pray God's comfort for his beloved wife Monica, daughter Alex, family and close friends. Rest in peace, unforgettable Oliver Clarke.  

Reflections on "a future economy"

Economist and retired UWI lecturer Dr Michael Witter opened the "Covid-19 Conversation on a future economy for Jamaica (and the Caribbean)" held last Friday. "We must think first of building a resilient economy and then focus on growth as an aspect of resilience," he stated. "Our growth pattern before and since Independence has not had resilience as a central feature… this has always led to increased inequality."

It is not difficult for us to understand his position, as we watch stories of families in squalor, toughing out this crisis. We have been encouraging people to eat Jamaican; that is very well and good for those of us who are not crowded into a ten-family tenement yard. When people are sleeping four to a room, where do they store all the lovely fruits and vegetables we are telling them to eat? Some people have to buy bread by the slice and toothpaste by the 'squeeze' as they are literally living hand to mouth. As to the reminders to wash our hands regularly, how do they do this without running water?

We must move people out of tenement yards and rotting buildings into homes with basic amenities. If we do not make that a priority, we will never be able to quell their desperation which has spawned the 389 gangs which National Security Minister Horace Chang announced last week.

Feminist economist Dr Mariama Williams of the South Centre organisation, reflected that "we are on a global pause, a pause for nature … a chance to reset and rethink." She wants us to think of tourism in a different way, observing that the existing tools "cannot carry us very far." She urges us to "put the most vulnerable in society as the pinnacle."  

At an AMCHAM webinar Jamaicans were told that there are increased opportunities to export our agricultural produce to the US as there is a supply chain disruption between the US and Mexico, so Michael Lee-Chin's 3,000-acre farm on the former Innswood Estate is timely. We hope the Ministry of Agriculture will network our smaller farmers so that they too can benefit from this development.

Cruise ship arrival

The huge 'Adventures of the Sea' cruise ship is docked at the Falmouth pier last Tuesday and we congratulate the organisers who are processing the over 1,000 Jamaican crew members as we understand that they will be able to disembark ahead of schedule.  We are happy for our fellow Jamaicans, as we all know the joy of returning to our country, even after a short trip.

So far, five of the crew members have tested positive for Covid-19 and so we can understand the Government's challenge to ensure we have the health facilities to treat the expected cases among the other thousands who are awaiting permission to return. The Jamaica Observer posted a video tour of a luxurious hotel room taken by one of the satisfied persons in quarantine. Jamaica's response to this crisis has been better that that of some developed countries and so we give thanks for the efforts of the various Ministries and our dedicated public servants.

Labour at home

Today is a vastly different Labour Day. Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, is inviting us to "labour at home" - "clean up and fixup" our homes and to check for safety issues in preparation for the hurricane season. Meanwhile, my colleagues at the Digicel Foundation will be supporting the sanitizing of downtown markets and Ocean Boulevard, a KSAMC project led by Mayor Senator Delroy Williams.

Saving jobs while saving lives

Jamaica Observer column published 11 May 2020

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

After seven weeks working remotely, our office will begin its gradual re-opening today. After 41 years in business, we have experienced Gilbert, Ivan, roads closed from gas strikes, and Chik-V keeping us on skeleton staff for weeks. However, never have we experienced anything like this: the word ‘unprecedented’ is being used in reports from every corner of the world. Unemployment figures have reached pre-World War II lows in the US and lines at food banks are getting longer. One California woman said she could hardly believe she was in line at a place for which she used to be a regular donor.

As some teeter on the brink of poverty, private sector organisations are recommending a phased opening with adjusted curfew hours of 9 pm to 5 am. “This measure will allow for more economic activity and workforce productivity, particularly our micro, small and medium enterprises; our most vulnerable, that represents over 70 per cent of the economy,” they said in a release quoted in the Jamaica Observer.

To save lives and to save jobs is the delicate balance faced by countries all over the world. Despite the criticisms, I believe Jamaica’s public and private sectors have been doing a commendable job, providing protection and relief. We see postings of long hours on social media from our front line workers, and applaud them for their sacrifices. JCF members have been juggling security and social outreach. PSOJ President Keith Duncan said his organisation has so far raised $120M and that the thousands of care packages being coordinated with AFJ, United Way, CVSS, and Food for the Poor are being distributed by the JCF and JDF.

However, these care packages will not last long, so we must look to sustainable solutions.  Jamaicans take personal hygiene seriously so if businesses can supply sanitizers, masks, handwashing facilities, and arrangements to ensure social distancing, we should make our move. 

Job losses may happen, but other fields are opening up, so some may have to exit our comfort zones to study for jobs of the future. It will be an interesting mix: public health, plumbing, electrical engineering and of course technology. With our population ageing at a rapid rate, well-trained practical nurses will be in demand. Dressmakers and shoe-repair establishments will become more popular as we will have to spend less and conserve what we have.

We may have to find new ways of doing business. Greg Christie, soon to be head of Jamaica’s Integrity Commission, shared a report from The Guardian on citizens in Fiji and other South Pacific Islands who are using Facebook to promote bartering: “Two piglets for a pre-loved kayak, a taxi fare in exchange for fresh produce, hot cross buns for online tutoring, an old carpet for a professional photography session, vegetable seedlings for homemade pies, and offers to have backyards cleaned for prayers.”

This should be a refreshing story for businessman Andrew Pairman who has been an active advocate of bartering. Now we must look with Covid-opened eyes at some of the opportunities that can make life more bearable for each other.

Covid notes

State Minister for Education, Youth and Information Alando Terrelonge is concerned at the rising number of young people who have tested positive for Covid-19.  “I don’t believe some young people are taking this situation as seriously as they should,” he worries. He has started an online campaign with the theme “Be a good soldier – in the war against coronavirus” with ‘Rondell Positive’.

We also saw a video of a JUTC bus packed and with passengers standing, speeding through the streets of Kingston, apparently trying to beat curfew.  Perhaps this supports the PSOJ call to have later curfew hours.  

This pandemic is uncovering some serious gaps in our society. A plaintive voice-note from a parent to her daughter’s teacher explained that she, the parent, could not read and needed the teacher to ensure that her child was on track with her studies. This calls for more partnerships to promote literacy for parents.

This crime virus

Gunmen continue to add grief to our already testing times. In one week, they have snuffed out the lives of four children, an eight-year-old and three teenagers. We Jamaicans must get on board to mentor, counsel, support our young men and boys so they do not become easy prey for gangs. This is an important role we can play in chipping away at their power.

Mary Seacole remembered

Hilary Nicholson shared that a new temporary community hospital in Surrey for post-Covid patients will be named after the great Mary Seacole, British-Jamaican nursing pioneer. The report from a nursing services website reads, “The new unit based at Headley Court Hospital in Leatherhead is expected to be the first of a wave of new "Seacole services" [for] … patient rehabilitation.” The naming follows a campaign led by NHS diversity lead nurse Yvonne Coghill – great going!

A week of farewells

We bade farewell to friends and Jamaican greats this week. Retired Observer Photo Editor Michael Gordon left us suddenly, and we remember the friendly chats, the quiet nods of the professional on assignment and the beautiful day in 2016 when he received his National Honour for his body of excellent work. He was predeceased by his lovely wife Angela last year; our prayers go out to their grieving family and friends.

In the mid-sixties Millie Small took Jamaican music to new heights with her hit ‘My Boy Lollipop’, produced by Chris Blackwell and arranged by Ernie Ranglin. What a song, coming third on the Billboard charts only to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones! Millie Small went on to have a quiet life with her family in the UK and passed away from a stroke at 73 years. Thank you for the joy of your music, Millie Small!

Composer, lecturer, soldier and patriot Major Joe Williams masterfully led the Jamaica Military Band for over forty years. The Kingston Technical High School graduate was a top student at the Royal Military School of Music (Kneller Hall) and later at the University Extension Conservatory, Chicago, USA and the City Literary Institute, London. The much-decorated Major served as Chair of the JCDC Festival Song Competition and the National Music Committee. He was an avid sportsman and a founder of the Jamaica Copyright Licensing Agency. Our sympathy to his beloved family and colleagues.

Of the passing of Renaissance man Professor Emeritus Frederick Hickling, his daughter Hilary wrote, “Our family bid him farewell with our prayers and to the music of Miles Davis, Third World, Buju Banton, Harold Butler, Morgan’s Heritage, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. He lived with courage and love”. Prof Hickling served as head of the University of the West Indies (Mona) Psychiatry Department and was also the executive director of the Caribbean Institute of Mental Health. He called on the authorities to address the serious threat of crime and indiscipline to the mental health of his fellow Jamaicans. He was a caring, brilliant and approachable humanitarian. Our sympathy to his loving family.